The Violet Eyed Panther
by xXBlondieQueenXx
Summary: Kelsey always thought the only she had to save were her two Indian princes, Ren and Kishan. But how will she manage when another comes along? Not even a prince but a princess? And one who repeatably threatens to end it all for Kelsey. Can she trust her? Or is she just another obstacle? Read and find out;)
1. The Panther

**This starts from right before Kishan and Kelsey meet the faun in Tigers Quest. Kay? :)**

**I do not own Tigers Curse Series, though I do wish.**

**Enjoy ;)**

Kelsey POV.

We found the source of music on a raised stone near a brook, playing a small wooden flute. The woman had here back to us so all we were able to see was her waist long straight black hair, which was braided into a very dramatic braid. I stepped on a twig and it snapped loudly. She stopped playing.

"Hi. I'm Kelsey. Who are you?" I asked and stepped closer. She darted quickly into the surrounding trees, disappearing immediately.

"Great," Kishan mumbled. "What now?"

I walked over to the stone she was on and sat down, gently picking up her flute, "I don't know." I shrugged and gazed at the mesmerizing water. It was a perfect clear blue, like a mirror. In the water I could see something black shift next to me.

"You're not going to scare me-" I turned and gasped, "Kishan!"

The large black tiger leapt over to my side and growled at the predator. The sleek black creature snarled back. I examined it closely. It was gracefully shaped and dark raven black but what caught my attention the most was its eyes. Its eyes were an outstanding violet that shone like stars against it's incredibly dark pelt. Kishan shifted uncomfortably next to me, which made me realize that the eyes looked exactly like Yesubai's.

"_Who are you?" _I scooted back, startled. Her voice came mentally but by the way Kishan was tensed I could tell he heard it too.

"_Well?_" She said, annoyed. Her voice unnerved me. It was soft and gentle and quiet yet it hit with the power of a tsunami and you couldn't tune it out no matter how hard you tried.

"I'm Kelsey. This is Kishan." I gestured to my tiger. "Who are you?"

The Black Panther studied me, "_Kalika_. _What are you doing in Shangri-La?"_

"We're looking for the Scarf. Have you heard of it?"

She made a sound that was like scoffing, "_Heard of it? I'm here to protect it_." She leaned closer. "_Why would_ you _want it_? _You are not cursed." _She glanced at Kishan. "_He is. But not you. Why do you seek it?"_

I sat up straighter. I wasn't going to be intimidated by this _kitty_. "I seek it for my two Indian princes, Kishan," I gestured to my tiger once again. "And Dhiren. They where cursed by an evil man named Lokesh."

Kalika tensed and said slowly, "_Where is this-_"She sucked in a breath. "_Man you call Lokesh?" _

I shrugged, "I honestly have no clue. Let's just hope he doesn't find us." We all sat there in silence for a moment. "You acted as if you met him. Have you met him?"

The panther slipped past me and sat on the rock, looking into the pool and her appearance slowly shifted. She had shifted into a human, like Ren and Kishan could.

She had the same hair as the girl we had seen on the rock but I saw her face now. It was delicate, slim with high cheekbones. Her violet eyes where ringed by kohl which, along with her olive skin, made her look Egyptian. She was gorgeous and I immediately felt jealous. She stood and I noticed her beautiful outfit. It was an amazing mix of the colors purple, indigo, and silver. Silver cuffs gripped her perfectly toned upper arms and wrists which connected the rich purple half-circle chiffon veil to her. She wore an expensive looking bra, which all she had covering her to top half, that was adored with silver, indigo, and gold beads and coins. Her rich purple skirt clung tightly to her perfect hips and hung down to her ankles, and I couldn't help notice the slits on both sides of her skirt that went from mid-thigh to her ankles. She lightly touched the belt that hung just above the skirt, which was also a beautiful mass of silver, indigo, and gold beads and coins. She had a beautiful yet simple, compared to the rest of her outfit, necklace with a simple silver chain. At the end of the chain was a gorgeous jewel surrounded by beautifully crafted designs, it was the simplest of her outfit but it was the most beautiful. The color of the jewel caught my attention the most. It was a beautiful bright cobalt blue on one side but on the other was a gorgeous doubloon-gold, they seemed to be swirling, fighting each other. She spun around, her skirt fanning out, revealing bare feet, and making her half-circle chiffon veil drift out behind her back.

Kishan shifted into a man and I caught him staring at her perfect stomach, which was completely exposed. I punched him lightly on the arm and he raised his hands defensively.

"I am half Egyptian and half Indian, to answer your next question." She smiled, revealing pearly teeth.

"I could tell." Kishan mumbled, looking her body up and down.

She raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing.

I broke the silence, "So can you help us?"

"Have you my gift?" She asked, her silky voice mused.

I looked at Kishan, "Gift?"

She sighed theatrically, "Yes, my gift. If I am pleased with the gift then I take you to the Silvanae and the fairies. If I do not approve, then I get to devour you."

"Uh..." Suddenly, she didn't look all that attractive anymore or talk beautifully anymore.

"You didn't even get me one?" She asked in disbelief. She folded her arms and pursed her lips. "I'll give you some time to come up with one. You can have five minutes."

I sputtered, "Five minutes?"

"I like modern things." She added before walking a little farther up the stream and continuing her music.

Kishan chuckled, "At least we'll be eaten by something cute, right?"

**Please review people!:) Plus check out my PJO story, Daughter of The Forbidden Night. I know it sounds really dramatic. #dealwithit**

**xXBlondieBlueXx**


	2. Her Help

Kalika stopped her music and called back to us, "Two minutes."

I groaned and continued rummaging through my pack while Kishan lay back on the grass thinking furiously. When she called out he sat up and punched the dirt.

"How does she expect us to come up with an accepting gift in less than 5 minutes?" He growled. He stood and paced, muttering about woman. I caught bits like _stupid gorgeous witchy woman _and _should choke on her own fur_, which made me grin.

I offered lamely, "Maybe you could flirt with her?"

He snorted which I took as a no. I pulled out the IPod Nilima had supplied me with.

"Kishan? What about the IPod Nilima gave me?"

He laughed and asked, "Why would she want that?"

I glared and stated, "She said she liked modern things, Kishan. Then maybe we could give her some food from the Fruit. Or we could promise to get her out of here. Or we could do something for her with the Scarf. Any ideas?"

Kishan stopped pacing and turned to me, "We are _not _promising her anything. She could be working for Lokesh, _Kelsey_. We don't know her."

"She sounded like she didn't even like him! We don't like him either. So we should be on the same side, right?"

He shook his head sternly, "No. We give her the IPod. That should suffice."

I protested, "Kish-"

"Times up." Kalika called, striding towards us, her arms spread wide.

She grinned greedily, "My gift?"

I laughed nervously, "About that. It's right here."

Kishan grunted and tossed to her. She caught it effortlessly and scowled at it.

She raised an eyebrow at me as she carefully examined it, "What is …it?"

I smiled nervously, "An IPod. It plays music."

She scoffed, "How does your tin box play music?"

I approached her warily, "Well you have to click the button on the screen twice then when the play button pops up, you just, you know, hit play."

She followed my instructions and suddenly 'What Does the Fox Say' blared through the tiny speakers so that it sounded like it was played underwater, but it was still plenty loud to startle her. She dropped it and skidded backwards. She growled at us, a deep throaty growl. I'm pretty sure that meant she didn't like our gift. She arched her back and with a _pop, _her panther form flopped down on the ground awkwardly. She stood slowly, growling again.

I stumbled backwards, "Kishan?"

His voice was tight, "Just run." He pointed to his left. "That way."

I sprinted away, glancing back only once. Kishan had turned into a tiger and sprinted in the opposite direction of me, with Kalika in pursuit.

I stumbled along for a while, constantly stumbling over just about everything. I tripped over log and hit the dirt hard. While muttering about Lokesh choosing the worst people to curse, I sat up and brushed off my T-shirt. I grumbled more about tigers and panthers when I heard a twig snap. I spun around, examining my surroundings. It obviously didn't help that it was getting dark and the dimming light was making shadows just about everywhere. _She could be standing right next and I'd never know_. The thought made me glance at my side worriedly. I heard a twig snap off to my left, I snapped my head in that direction and saw a faint glow of violet eyes but they disappeared quickly. I bolted, running till my lungs felt like they were going to burst.

When I thought it was safe I called, "Kishan?"

No response.

I climbed over a log and called again, "Kishan? Where are you?"

I saw a flick of a black tail over the top of a rock and laughed.

"Are you trying to scare me?" I strode over to the rock put my hands on my hips. "Nice try, Tiger. But it's gonna take a lot more to scare me."

I glanced at the top of the rock and saw a paw grip the top and then another. But they looked wrong; they were too small to be Kishan's. I took a step backwards as Kalika drug her body up on the rock, slowly creeping up it.

"_Found you._" She mused, her voice full of sickening proud of herself. "_I haven't hunted in a _long _time. You, Kelsey, have made a great target. But, alas, like all others, you will perish now." _With that she pounced.

I had experienced being pounced on by a panther, but this was nothing like that. Kalika was nearly twice the size of a normal panther, almost as large as Kishan. Her violet eyes mesmerized you, freezing you in place while she pounced. Suddenly a streak of black intercepted, knocking both of course and rolling into the trees. I took off after them and found Kishan and Kalika rolling in a clearing, snapping, clawing, yowling and roaring fiercely. Kalika managed to shove Kishan off and now they were circling each other, biting or pawing when the opportunity was given. I watched the deadly dance and tried to figure out how to stop them.

Finally when they both looked battle-weary she stepped forward, "S-stop you two." I walked directly in front of Kishan and glared at the panther. "We'll make another deal. You keep the IPod. We will also give you a feast of your choice. I promise to help you find a way out of here also."

Kalika perked up when she heard she might escape this place, "_And how do you plan to succeed?_" The black leopard mused, sitting down and flicking her tail back and forth.

I grinned, "With your help, of course."

**Sorry guys that I didn't post sooner:( I've been on vacation in St. George with mah Grandma.-. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!:)**

**xXBlondieBlueXx**


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